Machine for seating valves



(No Model.) 4Sheets-Sheefi 1.

' F. H. RICHARDS.

MACHINE FOR SEATING VALVES. 4 No. 500,216. Patented Jun 27, 1893.

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(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 2. F. H. RICHARDS.

MACHINE FOR SEATING VALVES.

No; 500,216 PatentedJune 27, 1893.

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(No Model.)

. v 4 Sheets8heet 3. F. H. RICHARDS. MACHINE FOR SEATING VALVES.

PatentedJune 27, 1893. a Q R $4 KQW m5 -oams VtTERs cs4 PHOYQUTND,WASHINGTON n.

P. H. RIGHARDS. MACHINE FOR- SEATING VALVES.

4 SheetsSheet 4.

(No Model.)

Patented June 27, 1893.

Witzzewem- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER WOOD,OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR SEATING VALVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,216, dated June 27,1893.

Application filed July 11, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Seating Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for seating valves by expanding theseat-ring blank into the body of the valve. Itis, in part, in the natureof an improvement upon the tool for seating valve-bodies, which isdescribed in my application, SerialNo. 439,691, filed July 11, 1892.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a valve-seating machine embodying mypresent improvements. Fig. 2 is arear elevation of the machine; in thisview the driving gearing being omitted for clearness of illustration.Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlargedsectional View, in line a a of Figs. 1 and 3, illustrative of theapparatus for holding the valve-body against rotation. Fig. 5 is anenlarged sectional side view of a portion of the machine shown in Figs.1, 2 and 3, and shows the relation of the parts at the beginning of theseating operation. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing therelation of the parts at the close of the seating operation. Fig. 7 is afurther enlarged view, similar to a portion of Fig. 5, for more clearlyillustrating the first stage of the seating operation, this figure beingtaken in a plane corresponding to line b b of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a viewsimilar to Fig. '7, and corresponding to a portion of Fig. 6, forillustrating the last stage of the seating operation. Fig. 9 is a rearView, as seen from the right-hand in Figs. 5 and 6, of the thrustbar.Fig. 10 is an end view of the thrust-bar, as seen from above'in Fig. 9.Fig. 11 is an end view of the thrust-bar, as seen from below in Fig. 9.Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder, in line 0 c,Fig. 1. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the roller-head, drawn on a scalecorresponding to Figs. 7 and 8.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

It will be remembered that according to the Serial No. 439,694- (Nomodel.)

process described in my application hereinbefore referred to, the seatring blank B, after being inserted as shown in Fig. 7 into thevalve-body C, is then subjected to rolling, first on the face 2 thereof,and then upon the inner side of the anchorage-rim, or liange, 3, of saidseat-ring.

For a proper carrying out of the process in practice it is desirablethat the rolling of the face, or seat-rin g proper, of the seat-ringblank shall precede to some extent the rolling of the anchorage-flange;and for this purpose the machine embodying my present improvements isprovided with separate appliances for imparting the required pressure tothe two sets of rolls.

The valve-body castings are, as is well known, only approximatelyregular in form, and, especially on the inner side thereof, haveundulating surfaces covered with scale and gran ulations such as oxide,sand, and the like, into and over which the more ductile metal (as brassor bronze) of the seat-ring must, ac.

cording to the process-carried out by my present improvements, be firmlybedded. To accommodate that irregularity of form, and to accomplish thefirm bedding of the seat-ring casting upon the iron valve-body, I mountthe valve-body in the manner hereinafter described, to allow it to shiftits position conformably to the shape of the ring-seat thereof, as theroller-head turns within the valvebody.

The eXpander-tool, or roller-head, shown in section in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and8, is described and claimed in my application, Serial No. 439,638, filedJuly 11, 1892, to which reference may be had. Said roller-head consistsof the rollcar'rier D, having on the outer side thereof a series offace-rolls, 4, 4 and 4", (usually three in number, as shown) each heldin place on the carrier by some suitable means, as for instance, thetubular studs 5 and the bolts 6; and having a corresponding set ofexpanderrolls, 7, 7 and 7", set in pockets, or recesses, 8, 8' and 8',formed in said carrier, and held in place by means of a cap, 9, whichmay be form ed integral with the roll-carrier, or maybe formedseparately and secured to the carrier by means of screws. Theroller-head, when used, is set upon a track, 10, on which the face-rollsrun (as will be understood from Figs.

- 7 and 8), after the manner of bevel gearing.

This track, and also the roller-head, is bored to receive the lower endof the conical expander-pin E, which is made of a size to just enterbetween the expander-rolls 7, 7' and 7", when these stand within theseat-ring blank as illustrated in Fig. 7. As the seating operationproceeds, said expanderpin is gradually forced down during therevolution thereof, and besides imparting rotary motion to theexander-rolls, drives these outward from the position shown in Fig. 7 tothe position shown in Fig. 8. This operation being carried on by theapplication of great force, enlarges the anchorage-flange, 3, of theseatring by internal rolling, and forces the same over the rim, 11, ofthe valve-body into firm engagement therewith, and embeds the metal ofsaid flange over and into all of the undulations and inequalities of thesurface of the ring-seat of the valve-body. But it is necessary, in someinstances, for the successful and satisfactory carrying-out in practiceof the aforesaid seating operation, that prior to the principalexpansion of said anchorage-flange, the seat-disk 12 shall have beenfirst brought to a firm bearing upon the ring-seat of the valvebody. Foreffecting this, it is necessary to bring a heavy pressure to bear uponthe valvebody to clamp said seat-ring disk between said ring-seat andthe said rollers 4, with a sufficiently great force to roll down themetal of the disk to a perfect bearing on the bodycasting 0.

Having now set forth the process to be carried out, together with theprincipal conditions and difficulties attending the same, I will nextdescribe the preferred construction and arrangement of mechanism forproperly carrying said process into efiect.

The track, 10, on which the roller-head D is set, is formed on the upperend of a stem, 13, which is set, by means of a threaded hub, 14, uponthe threaded end, 15, of the lower spindle 16; and the expander-pin E isfixed in (or formed on) the end of the upper spindle 17. Said lowerspindle is journaled near its upper end in a bearing, 18, which is shownfixed to the main framework F by means of screws, 19, and rests at itslower end in a step, 20 (Fig. 3) supported by the bottom-plate, 21, ofthe frame F. The projecting upper end of said step is shown threaded andprovided with a nut, 22, for adjusting the same vertically as required,in a well-known manner. For driving the lower spindle 16, this isfurnished with a gear-wheel, 23, suitably fixed thereto and meshing witha pinion, 24, fixed on the forward end of the lower driving-shaft 25, aswill be understood from the dotted lines in Fig. 1. Said driving-shaft25 is furnished on its rearward end with a change-gear, 26, held inplace by the nut 27 or by other wellknown means; said gear is drivenfrom the driving-pulley G, through the driving-gear 28 fixed to saidpulley, and the intermediate gear 29 which is shown carried by a stud,30, adjustably fixed on the segnien tal track 31, (Figs. 1 and 2,) bymeans of a bolt, 32, (not fully shown,) having a nut, 33, and a T-headfitting in the T-slot 34. When the driven gear 26 is changed for one ofa different size, the intermediate gear 29 is moved along on itsaforesaid segmental track to bring the same properly in mesh. Thedriving-pulley G is shown formed with three steps, and is supported on astud, 35, fixed in the framework in a well-known manner. Theexpanderspindle 17 is driven from the aforesaid driving-pulley through aset of gearing similar to that described for driving the lower spindle16. Said upper spindle, 17, is splined to the hub, 36, of a gear, 37,which is journaled in the bearing 38 of the framework F. Said gear 37meshes with, and is driven by, the pinion 39 fixed on the forward end(at the left-hand in Fig. 1) of the upper driving-shaft 40; which shaftis journaled in the frame F and has removably fixed to the rearward endthereof a change-gear, 41, through which the shaft is driven (by meansof the intermedi ate gear 42) from the aforesaid driving-gear 28 on thedriving-pulley. Said intermediate gear 42 is supported on a stud,43,that is adjustably fixed 011 the segmental track 44 by means of a bolt,45, havinga nut,46,andhaving a T-head fitting in the T-slot 47 of saidsegmental bearing 44.

By means of the gearing here described for driving the two spindles 16and 17, and by changing the gears 26 and 41 on said spindlesrespectively, the required speed of rotation of the one spindle relativeto the other may be obtained in any case, thereby adapting the machinefor the seating of valves of different sizes and for the use in themachine of roller-heads having the face-rolls and expander-rolls thereofof different proportions, for it will be understood that the relativediameter of the face-rolls to their track should correspond to thediameter of the expanderrolls relative to the driving-pin E, both beingconsidered in relation to the seat-ring upon which said rolls areoperating; and since both sets of rolls are carried upon the samerollerhead, obviously any disproportion in said relations must becompensated by a corresponding difference in the velocities of the track10 and the roller-pin E. This compensation, or adjustment of the speedsof said driving parts, is readily effected by changing the wheels 26 and41 and resetting the intermediate wheels 29 and 42 into proper meshtherewith. Said change-gearing also furnishesthe means for back-gearingthe machine to a greater or less degree as the work may require; bysubstituting smaller wheels for the wheels 26 and 41, the machine isprepared for operating upon the smaller sizes of valves, by running thespindles at a higher speed and with less power; while by substitutinglarger wheels for said Wheels 26 and 41, the machine is prepared foroperating upon the larger sizes of valves, by driving said spindles at aslower speed and with proportionately greater power.

For the purpose of holding the valve-body against rotation during theseating operation, an apparatus is provided which is constructed andarranged to permit the valve-body to move in all directions exceptrotatively. The valve-body O has fixed thereto by means of the bolts 50and 51, or otherwise, a suitable yoke, as 52, whose opposite arms, 53and 54, are provided with the journals 55 and 56 located on a linecoincident-or nearly sowith the plane of the valve-seat being operatedupon, and also with the plane of the longitudinal axis of thevalve-body. A rockshaft, 57, is journaled in a bearing formed in theframework, and has fixed on the opposite ends thereof, by means of theclampscrews 58 and 59, the two rocker-arms 60 and 61, on whose lowerends are formed the eyes, or loops, 62 and 63, respectively, forcarrying the rearward ends of the links, or connectingrods, 64: and 65.Said connecting-rods 64 and 65 join the rocker-arms by a connectionpreferably similar to the ordinary chain-hook connection with achain-link, and the front ends of said links are formed with hooks, 66and 67, respectively, for engaging the aforesaid journals, 55 and 56, ofthe yoke 52. WVith the apparatus constructed and organized as heredescribed, any lateral movement of the valve body is provided for by theturning of the shaft 57 in its hearing, or by the swinging of thelink-bars 64 and 65, or both. Any change of position of the valvebody(except laterally) relatively to a vertical plane-t. 6. any tipping ofthe valve-body in any direction-is compensated or provided for by thesystem of links and the yoke. The rotative tendency of the valve-bodydue to the force of the seating-tools is transmitted, through theyoke,the link-bars and the rockerarms, to the rock-shaft 57, becoming atorsional strain in this shaft.

The means and apparatus which I prefer to employ for forcing theexpander-pin spindle 17 to its work, and which constitutes incombination one feature of my present improvements, consists of acylinder, 70, fixed to the framework and having a piston, 71, whose rod,72, is connected by a coupling, 73, to the upper end of said spindle 17,preferably so as to permit the rotation of the spindle relatively to thepiston-rod; which rod is furnished with a suitable stuffing-box, as 83.\Vater is supplied to, and discharged from, the respective ends, 74: and75, of the cylinder through the pipes 76 and 77, which lead to afour-way valve, 78, that may be operated by means of a hand-lever, 79,shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Two other pipes, 80 and 81,lead, the one from the highpressure-supply and the other to thedischarge-reservoir. The supply-pipe, 80, is su pposed to be connectedwith a suitable accumulator or other hydraulic apparatus for supplyingsaid cylinder 70 with water at the required pressure. By turning thevalveplug 82 by means of said handle 79, the ports of the four-way valvemay be opened and closed, as required for raising the piston and thespindle connected thereto, or for lowering the same.

For the purpose of bringing to bear upon the valve-body O the forcenecessary for properly rolling the face of the seat-ring blank, theframe F is provided with a bearing, 85, in which is fitted a nut, 86,carrying a tubular screw, 87, through which the spindle 17 is fitted tofreely revolve and slide. The upper end of said screw may be providedwith a suitable stop-collar, as 88, for preventing the screw from toogreat a downward movement. The lower end of the screw is shown formed tofit in the concave upper end of a thrustbar, 89, shown more fully inFigs. 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11.. Said screw 87 is also shown provided with ahand-wheel, 90, for actuating the same. v

When preparing to use the machine, the roller-pin being elevated to theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the valve-body, with the seat-ringblank and the roller-head therein, is set on the track 10, as shown inFigs. 5 and 7. A suitable cap, as 91, is then set upon the valve-body,and the thrust-rod S9 is set upon said cap under the lower end of theaforesaid screw 87, whichis then turned down by means of the hand-wheel90 to force the valve-body and seat-ring down upon the roller-head. Themachine being now started in operation, (the valve-body having beenconnected for holding it from rotation as hereinbefore described,) theoperator, by gradually turning said screw, forces the valve-body downupon the seatring, and this against the face-rollers, and these againstthe track 10, until,the rotation of the spindle continuing in the meantime,said face 12 of the seat-ring blank is firmly embedded upon, andfitted to, the valve-body casting. This result having been accomplished,the operator next, by means of the apparatus described, (or by means ofother well-known apparatusnot herein shown for imparting longitudinalmovement to a rotating spindle,) brings the spindle 17 down to theposition shown in Fig. 5, where the expandenpin (as also in Fig. 7)enters between the expander rolls of the roller-head, and then graduallyforces down said spindle during the continued rotation thereof, tocomplete, as hereinbefore described, the expansion of theanchorage-flange 3. And during said operation the operator may, if thework so requires, slightly turn down the screw 87, and thus, through theintermediate parts described, gradually effect a further rolling of theseat-ring face 12 simultaneously with the expansion of saidanchorageflange.

Vhen the operator is about to place a valvebody in the machine, he firstattaches thereto the yoke 52 and sets the valve-body, with the IIOroller-head therein, upon the track 10, as in Figs. 1 and 3. Next, thelink-bars 64 and 65 are hooked upon the journals, 55 and 56,respectively, of the yoke 52, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Thecap 91 is next placed upon the top of the valve-body, as in Figs. 5 and6, and the thrust-bar 89 set thereon under the screw 87, which is thenturned down to lightly hold the valve-body down upon the roller-head.Next, the operator, by means of the apparatus provided therefor, slidesdown the spindle 17 to bring the expander-pin into place within therolls, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7; the machine is now in position forbeginning the seating operation.

The general operation of the machine is as follows: The valve-body andfixtures being assembled in the machine as described, ready forbeginning the seating operation, the trackstem 13 and the expander-stemE are started rotating by means of a band (not shown) applied to thedriving-pulley G and communicatin g power to the two main spindlesthrough the system of gearing hereinbefore described. The operator then,by means of the handwheel 90, gradually turns down the screw 87 to forcethe valve-body firmly down upon the seat-ring B and this upon theface-rollers 4 of the roller-head D, and continues this operation untilthe metal of the valve-seat face is firmly bedded upon the roughseat-face, 92, of the valve-body casting O. This stage of the operationhaving been reached, a downward movement is imparted as set forth to thespindle 17, which then forces the expander E downward between therollers 7, and gradually forces these outward from the position shown inFigs. 5 and 7 to that shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The anchorage-flangehaving been thus rolled out firmly into engagement with the internalwall, 93, of the valve-body casting, the spindle 17, together with theexpander-pin E, is now raised until it is free of the roller-head, andup to about the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, out of the way of thevalve when thisis to be removed. Afterward,

' the valve-body together with the roller-head is taken out of themachine, which is then ready for beginning another operation.

The valve shown in the drawings for illustrating the mode of operationof the machine is of relatively small size compared with the capacity ofthe machine, which is intended to operate upon a series of sizes, thelarger of which may be three or four times the nominal diameter of theone shown.

My improved valve-seating machine is designed to operate on the roughcastings, which, except for the usual chipping in the cleaning-room, areused in the condition in which they leave the molds, not being machinedor otherwise specially prepared for the described seating process.

By the operation of rolling the face 12 of the seat-ring to bed saidface firmly upon the valve-body casting, the anchorage-flange 3 iscarried upward (relatively to the ring-seat 12) to its normal positionin the valve-body, so that on the expansion of said anchorage-flangeduring the succeeding stages of the seating operation, this flange is,in turn, bedded properly against the corresponding surface of thevalve-body casting; and by continuing the thrust or pressure upon thevalve-body by a firm, unyielding means, as, for instance, by the largescrew 87 and the rigid thrust member 89,-the seat portion of theseat-ring is held firmly in place so that it cannot be dislodged,as itotherwise would be,-by the flowing of the metal composing theanchorage-flange, under the crushing action of the expander-rollers. Bythus first rolling the face of the seat-ring, and then simultaneouslyrolling the face and flange thereof, and by doin g this by theapplication of sufficient power, a perfect result is obtained whileusing the ordinary grades of castings usually employed for themanufacture of valves and pipes for water distribution. It is,therefore, one of the objects of my invention to provide thevalve-seating machine with a rigid and unyielding means for holding thevalve firmly bedded against the casting during the later stages of theseating operation. Another feature of my invention, co-operating withthe one just described, consists in the yielding means for forcing downthe expander-spindle 17 during the later stages of the seatingoperation; said yielding means consisting, in the present instance, ofthe described hydraulic cylinder with its piston having a rod coupled tosaid spindle. By supplying said cylinder with water at a pressure onlysulficient to force the pin gradually from its position in Fig. 7 to itsposition in Fig. 8 during a considerable number of revolutions thereof,and by making said pin considerably tapering as shown in the drawings,the slight irregularities in the nominally circular contour of theringseat are compensated for by a retreating or advancing movement ofthe spindle 17. When, during the rotation of the said spindle, one ofthe rolls 7 of the rollerhead comes to a place in the periphery of theseat-ring offering less resistance to the action of said rolls, thehydraulic cylinder forces down the spindle 17 and the pin E carriedthereby, to drive the rollers outward and force the metal of theanchorage-flange into the deeper portions of its seat; and, .on thecontrary, when said expander-rollers come to a higher portion of thering-seat offering a greater resistance to the advance of said roller,

the tapering pin, being positively rotated,

operates to force back the piston and withdraw itself slightly frombetween said expander-rolls. By this peculiar action, I am enabled tofirmly expand, by the internal rolling thereof, the anchorage-flange ofthe seat-ring into firm engagement with the ringseat throughout theperiphery thereof, notwithstanding said ring-seat may be, and in nearlyall cases is, out of round to a considerable extent, as for instance,from the one-sixteenth to the one-eighth of an inch in diameter,measured in different directions across the opening thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- Y 1. In a valve-seatingmachine, the combination with a roller-head substantially as described,and with means for holding the valvebody from rotation, of a spindlecarrying the roller-head track, a spindle carrying the expander-pin,means for simultaneously rotating the spindles, thrust apparatusarranged to force the valve-body against the roller-head,

and spindle-sliding apparatus connected to slide the expander-pinspindle during the rotation thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with the track-carryingspindle, and with the sliding expander spindle, of connecting shafts andgearing comprising changewheels whereby the two spindles may be revolvedwith different velocities in the same direction, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with the lower spindleand means for driving the same, of the track carried by said spindle andadapted to support the roller-head and valve-body, and a rock-shaftcarrying links adapted to connect with the valve-body for holding thesame from rotation while permitting lateral movement thereof,substantially as set forth.

4. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with means for supportingthe valvebody, of the yoke fixable to the valve-body,

. the rock-shaft having rocker-arms, and the links connecting at one endwith said arms and at the other end with the ends of said yoke,substantially as set forth.

5. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with means for supportingthe valvebody with the roller-head therein, of the expander-pin spindle,means for revolving and sliding said spindle, and a screw connectedsubstantially as described for forcing the valve-body upon theroller-head independently of the movements of said spindle,substantially as set forth.

. 6. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with means forsupporting the valvebody with the roller-head therein, and with meansfor forcing the valve-body upon the roller-head, of the revolublesliding spindle 17 adapted to carry the expander-pin, and a hydraulicspindle-sliding apparatus substantially as described coupled to saidexpanderspindle for sliding the same during the rotation thereof,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with the revoluble trackarranged to support the roller-head and valve-body thereon, of the screwopposite to said track and means for turning the same, and athrust-barintermediate to said screw and the valve-body, substantially as setforth.

8. In a valve-seating machine, the combination with means for supportingthe valvebody with the roller-head therein, and for rotating theroller-head, of the eXpander-spin dle and the tapering expander-pincarried thereby, a relatively rigid. means for forcing the valve-bodyupon the roller-head, and a relatively yielding means for forcing theexpander-spindle to its work independently of the holding of the valveupon the roller-head, substantially as set forth.

FRANCIS II. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

HENRY L. REOKARD, EMMA G. FOWLER.

